September 12, 2006

Al Qaeda Will Nuke US in Late September (update)

A Pakistani journalist says that his sources in al Qaeda and the Taliban are claiming that nuclear material has already been smuggled across the Mexican border into the U.S. and that an operation bigger than 9/11 will be carried out during Ramadan--which begins later this month.

Hamid Mir, who is the only journalist ever to interview both Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri, claims that he learned this information on a recent trip to Afghanistan last month.

So, the guy does have a track record, but considering that he got the information from al Qaeda and the Taliban....well, these guys aren't exactly reliable sources. So, yeah the headline is alarmist, but blame my editor and not me.

A man called Adnan Al-Shukri Jumaa (Juma, Jumah) is presently in the U.S. and has been assigned the task of detonating the nuclear material. The report does not say whether an actual nuclear bomb was smuggled in or only material to be used for a 'dirty bomb'.

The Pakistani journalist also gave a brief background on Adnan Jumaa. Born in Saudi Arabia, he moved to the US where he met a group of a Al-Qaeda members in the Al-Farouq mosque in New York in 2000. He then traveled to an Arab state and from there to Pakistan then Afghanistan. He left there two years ago and since then has smuggled nuclear material from Mexico to the US. Jumaa has earned the nickname "Al-Qaeda nuclear whizz" and is tagged to play the same role in a future attack as Mohammed Atta did in the 9/11 attacks.

In March 2003 the FBI announced that it was seeking a link between Adnan and others accused of terroris, saying Adnan Jumaa "or maybe one of his several nicknames" had appeared in intelligence information gathered after the arrest of Khalid Sheik Mohammad.

Western media had reported in earlier times that Adnan Jumaa was a Saudi pilot, but the Saudi Ministry of Interior security spokesman lieutanent Mansour Al-Turki said in a statement to Al-Watan newspaper two months ago that Adnan Jumaa is not a Saudi citizen, he was living in the kingdom until he was eleven years old and left along with his parents, who are not Saudis, twenty years ago.

In addition, Mir also claims that 300 suicide bombers are now in Kabul and will begin attacking during Ramadan.

Oh, he also says that Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar just met to plan the attacks.

UPDATE: Allah has more here and Gateway Pundit here. Both make important points, Allah especially on some other chatter about this guy.

UPDATE:Dean Barnett, filling in for Hugh, recycles an old essay, with some important facts on the threat of suitcase bomb. Bottom line, al Qaeda doesn't have them.

A reader also points out that I misread part of the story, and the Ramadan threat applies only to Afghanistan and not the nuke threat.

Also, I'm actually trying NOT to be alarmist here. Hence, all the caveats about the unrealiability of the source. But, worst-case scenario stuff should always worry us to the point of prevention, but not panic. I have home-insurance even though the likelihood of my house catching on fire is low.